A trio of conductors exited the dying forest by way of a path, the green band across their left arms making them easy to identify. They started calling names, splitting the group into three bands of ten participants and went on their way separately. Thankfully, she and Caro were paired together. And for what it was worth, so was Williams.
Snow crunched beneath Val's boots as she followed the single file line through a well-kept trail, polar to the eerily silent steps of the conductor up front. Heads careened skywards at the sound of creaking planks, a sign made out of wooden plates dangling off a skeletal tree branch.
'Thunderstone: Copper-Rung Rift,' it read.
Rifts were sectioned off into rungs—levels according to the hazard within the area. Copper-rung was the lowest out of the five, yet still dangerous to typics and unbound. While the details were much needed, most were occupied, staring at the wobbling wall of energy before them. A blend of fluctuating blues and greys lined the beginnings of the grounds for the third trial, ethereal in its law-breaking nature.
When someone from their group asked about it, the conductor laughed. "It's a weather ward. If we had you fight against frostbite, the third trial would be over before I could blink."
"That's reassuring," Val said, wisps of fog coming out.
The conductor tapped his ear, a device likely hiding behind his mane of hair. "All participants ready to go? Mine are too. Alright." He turned towards the group. "So, before we—"
"Tch."
A participant parading near-lambent green hair clicked her tongue and waded through the ward. Sudden disbelief took hold of the crowd, cracked by the conductor's dry chuckle as he followed her lead, the line collapsing as everyone rushed to the other side.
Val prodded at the shifting energy with a hesitant finger, surprised at the density. Filtering strength into the palm, she forced her hand through and her body trailed in rapid motion.
Fir trees full of needle-like foliage and sparse shrubby painted the rocky land. Pinecones hung from branches and a green blanket of moss blanketed a stone mound to their distant left. It was a calming scene, Val spotting a thin, trickling stream disappear into the dark soil.
'That transition,' she glanced behind her at the barrier. 'Woah.'
A clap gained everyone's attention. "Alrighty." The conductor's lips tilted upwards. "From this point onwards, your third trial begins. I will explain the rules only once and yes, while I am explaining it, your trial is still ongoing."
"Couldn't you have done it outside?" The green-haired girl kicked a stone into the surrounding forest and scrunched up her nose. "Would've spared us the trouble of wasting time."
"Ah, but it wasn't me who entered Thunderstone first, was it?"
The girl flinched, averting her eyes elsewhere.
The man's smile broadened. "As you can all see, we are now inside a rift—a place full of danger and treasure alike. As a mage, you're bound to step inside these boundaries once or twice to reap energy cores from the crawling beasts or to harvest a rift core. You are to do neither since you know how to do neither. Ignoring these words will result in disqualification.
"Onto the instructions," he said, holding up a finger. "Rule number 1: I will not, cannot, and should not help you."
He held up another finger. "Rule number 2: You are encouraged to work together, not forced. Solo work is allowed. Overseers are watching us as we speak, able to teleport you away in cases of extreme danger."
Another finger. "Rule number 3: Should you wish to pull out, you are allowed to do so at any point in time at the risk of disqualification."
"Get to the important parts!" the pink-haired girl ordered.
His pinkie went up, smooth and unaffected. "Rule number 4: You have ten days to reach your objective or else you suffer disqualification. Also note that you cannot exit until those ten days are up, regardless of whether you've met the objective."
Ten days? How long did they expect them to take to complete the goal?
At last, his thumb joined his other fingers, his palm now in the air. "Your objective is to collect fifteen points, according to our reward system. All aether creatures within the boundaries of your trial are Tier One, meaning magic isn't necessarily required to fight them.
"To cash in your points by the time the horn sounds, you need to have on your person a part of the slain aether creatures. Measures have been put in place to ensure one cannot chop up the same aether creature and claim it as fifteen points. That's it."
"For saints' sake, that's it? Really?" a participant voiced. A dark goatee sprung from his clenched jaw, blue eyes squinted in frustration. His body language seemed tense, like a coil ready to straighten. Judging by the lines creasing his face, age crept in and proportionally so did his deadline. "You're telling me you guys are too blind to see you made the rules skewed towards those who'd rather steal than play by the rules?"
The conductor smiled. "Oh, we know. Getting points won't be the problem, it's keeping them."
"What are we gonna use to even fight?" Caro asked, gaining the approval of the group expressed through verdant nods.
"Good question." The conductor snapped. Val balked as an array of weaponry materialized before them. Swords, shields, throwing knives—name it and it'd be there. "Pick and choose your weapon. Be mindful, this is your one and only chance." He pointed to a nearby bush, an obscured object bulging from within. "And there's a bag over there full of medical supplies and rations."
The green-haired participant moved first, collecting a classic wooden bow and quiver full of arrows. Pausing and glancing back at the group, she snatched up the bags full of rations on her way and dashed deep into the softwood forest. 'Heavens.'
The gazes of the participants slid to the conductor, who shrugged.
"After her!" the bearded participant yelled, breaking the daze that held them captive. The group forged forwards as one, but a sudden rush of vertigo tided over Val.
She blinked rapidly, stunned where she stood. "Stop!"
The group sputtered to a halt, the bearded man's blue eyes affixed on the shrinking figure of the girl.
"But our food! That thieving kid!"
"You don't want to go in there. Trust me. What I sensed—"
A girl's yelp drew the gaze of every participant.
With wide eyes, they watched as the inconspicuous branches elongated and latched onto the green-haired girl, its jagged edges drawing blood from wherever it touched. The trees straightened, pulling her up into the thick canopy, her form, green hair and all, gone from their sight.
The plump bag of goods cracked hard against the ground and her shriek echoed throughout the forest, birds flapping away at the sudden noise. 'What kind of aether creature was that?'
A deep sigh resounded. "She sure walked that walk, didn't she."
The conductor sauntered into the forest as if on a morning stroll. A shout was on the edge of Val's tongue as the very same branches as the ones prior lashed out at him. He waved a hand nonchalantly, not breaking his stride. The boughs sagged at first as if sad they couldn't have an extra meal. A groan-like sound then echoed and branches fell from the canopy, the girl's captive body as well. 'I didn't even see what element he used.'
The conductor caught her with a stifled grunt and carried her their way, the sack of goods trailing him on top of a pool of ice. He set down the unconscious girl—her hair more red than green—and looked at them, scratching his head.
"Well." The conductor spread his arms wide. "Welcome to Thunderstone."